Samsung Galaxy S3 gets Galaxy Note 2 features with Android 4.1.2

Mutli-view, page buddy and new gallery app

The Samsung Galaxy S3 is starting to get the Android 4.1.2 update, which may not seem like a big deal on the surface, but there are some key new features packed inside.

First up the multi-view function lets you have more than one app on screen at a time for an enhanced multi-tasking experience.

First seen on the Galaxy Note 2, the Galaxy S3 is only the second handset to get this nifty functionality, letting you snap apps above and below each other on the phone's 4.8-inch display.

Galaxy S3 takes Note

Page buddy is something else we saw on the Note 2 and has now made the leap across to the S3 – for example, plug in a set of headphones and a dedicated homescreen will appear giving you options related to the action, such as offering links to the music player.

to discover loads more about the infinite possibilities of the GALAXY Note II

Also bundled in the Android 4.1.2 update is an updated gallery app which matches the one found on the Note 2, plus a customisable notification panel, swipe input for the keyboard and smart rotation – which will only rotate the screen if the phone detects you want landscape mode and are not just lying in bed with your S3 at a weird angle.

The roll out started in Poland and the over-the-air update will make its way round countries worldwide in the coming days and weeks – so keep an eye out for it on your Galaxy S3. No word on US availability just yet, but it's surely only a matter of time.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Phones and Tablets Deputy Editor

John (Twitter, Google+) got his first phone aged 12 and since then he's been fixated on all things mobile, churning his way through a multitude of handsets, tablets and operating systems. Signalling his arrival at TechRadar by becoming a Guinness World Record holder in his first week (for the highest score on Super Mario Bros using a giant controller), John hasn't looked back since.